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Brands By Generation

03/25/2019 branding_basics

Marketing to different generations can be tricky.

How are the generations different? What are their likes? Dislikes? What brands will truly resonate with them?

Don’t worry, we’re here to help. Our experts can help you align your brand with the right products and retail brands to reach any generation, from Boomers all the way to Gen Z’ers.

Boomer

Baby Boomers, affectionately referred to as Boomers, comprise 74 million people in the US between ages 54-73. Being older, they’ve had more accumulate wealth and are willing to spend more for products and brands they perceive to be high quality. They enjoy using their status as an established generation gifting to younger generations, generally with brands they’re familiar with. A few examples of brands that speak to Boomers are Pendleton, Ring and Le Creuset.

Gen X

Those born between 1966-1980 get to call themselves part of Generation X. Gen X is kind of like the middle child of generations – its 65 million population are much like a hybrid of Boomers and next generation Millennials. Studies have shown that Gen X’ers appreciate quality and are the most brand loyal of all recent generations. Brands like Carhartt, Fitbit and Skagen are names Gen X’ers know and love, and they’re willing to spend more for them.

Millennial

When it comes to killing industries, the 83 million people born between 1981-1997 in the US that can call the Millennial generation their own are hard to beat. This can make marketing to Millennials a unique challenge. They value authenticity and expect brands to provide them with experiences. Price is critical, but brand names do matter to Millennials. They want to support real brands doing real good, like Patagonia, Corkcicle and Native Union.

Gen Z

Generation Z is our greenest generation in more than one sense of the word, comprising of the 65 million Americans that are currently between the ages of 4-21. Gen Z is much more socially responsible than prior generations. This impacts the brands they choose greatly. Gen Z’ers will do intensive research before purchasing, and are willing to discover new brands and try new things based on those findings. Gen Z’ers appreciate brands like Hydro Flask, Love Your Melon and Cotopaxi that align with their social and ethical beliefs.

Which generation is your target market?

No matter who you’re trying to reach, we can help you find the right brand names to resonate with your audience every time. Contact SCS@staples.com using code Brands19 to get started.